Signal mechanism for stopping railway-engines.



W. H. BAUERT. SIGNAL MECHANISM FOR STOPPING RAILWAY ENGINES.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 12, 1911.

Patented June 13,, 191-1.

WILLIAM HENRY BAUERT, OF FORBES, NEW SOUTH WALES, AUSTRALIA.

SIGNAL MECHANISM FOR STOPPING RAILWAY-ENGINES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 13, 1911.

Application filed January 12, 1911. Serial No. 602,259.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM HENRY BAUERT, a subject of the King of Great Britain and Ireland, residing at Forbes, in the State of New South Vales, Commonwealth of Australia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Signal Mechanism for Stopping Railway-Engines; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appert-ains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to railway safety devices and provides improvements in locomotives and track signal equipment, to cause steam to be shut off, and the brakes applied automatically on an engine, if that engine would otherwise pass a point such as a danger signal, at which it should stop. So if engineme-n fail in duty, wilfully or otherwise, my mechanism prevents disaster.

The construct-ion will be explained by reference to the accompanying drawings forming part of this specification.

Figure l is a side elevation showing diagrammatically apparatus as fitted in the cab of an engine and on the railway track. Fig. 2 is an end elevation of parts in Fig. 1. Details are shown on larger scales and some of them only in Figs. 3 to 9; Fig. 3 shows a loop swing in end View, that is looking along the track; Fig. 4 is a plan of the top of said swing; Figs. 5 and 6 are side elevations and Fig. a plan View of track hook parts; and Figs. 8 and 9 show in side and end elevation respectively details of construction located in and near the engine cab.

Designs, positions and sizes of various parts will naturally be varied to suit different types of engines now in use; and where the brakes would bring the engine to a standstill without shutting ofi steam, the mechanism for operating the steam lever is when desired made disconnectible.

In these drawings (see Fig. 3 for details next mentioned) 1 is a casing, suspended, as by spindles 2 projecting from it, below the engine, supported by brackets 3 secured to the engine footplate 4. This casing is free to swing under any moderate pressure not transversely but lengthwise of the track, and has at each side internal guides or grooves 5 having between them a slide plate 6 movable longitudinally in the casing. Normally the slide is kept at the casing upper end by the pull of a chain or connecting means 7 secured to the slide at 8, and pass ing over a guide or pulley 9 journaled in the casing. Friction reduction rollers 10 are fitted at each side to slide 5 to which are also pivoted depending arms 11 one at each side, extending to below the casing base, the arms being curved or inbent to form a loop 12; The casing base has outer and inner guide rollers 13, 14: at each side between which the arms pass. The arm lower ends meet or overlap normally; but separate-see dotted lines in Fig. 3when the loop is drawn down. To cause the separation each arm 11 has near its upper end an inward bend 15 or the like. To prevent the loop being damaged at level crossings or high parts of the permanent way, arms 16 (carrying suitable rollers 17 are connected to the casing (adjusted higher or lower as required) so that rollers 17 run upon such high parts and keep the loop clear thereof.

On the track between rails 18 is a stopping hook 22 on a lever 19 supported by a pivot 20 in any suitable bracket. The lever is weighted so that if the connection normally controlling it, as chain or wire 21, breaks or slackens materially the lever rises at its hooked end as in Fig. 1. Chain 21 passes from lever 19 around one or more pulleys 23 to-for example-an existing signal wire not illustrated, or to a lever in a signal box. A signalman or other suitable agency controls chain 21 so that when a danger signal is set the hook rises till it is in the path of loop 12 of any approaching engine. Chain 21 is so pulled when the line is clear that lever 16 is depressed at its hook end sufliciently to allow loop 12 to pass over without touching the hook. hen the closed loop enters the raised hook the advance of the engine causes the hook to pull down arms 11 with slide 6 in the casing, thus pulling wire j 7 As the arms descend, rollers 13, 14 prevent rods 11 from spreading till bent parts 15 meet guides or rollers 13, which force the arms to spread so that loop 12 opens and escapes from hook 22.

To provide for accidental striking by a cowcatcher or other part of a train againsthook 22 its point is specially adapted to yield in such cases; it is made as shown in Figs. 5 to 7 with the point 22 a separate member pivoted at 24 to the hook shank, and held in normal position by springs 25 at both sides pressing down strongly connecting links 26 to withstand the normal stress occurring when slide 6 is being pulled along the casing. The abnormal force of the blow of a cowcatcher however would overcome springs 25 and cause the hook point to swing forward into a lower position shown in Fig. 6 allowing the cowcatcher or the like to pass on without breaking anything. The hook point might instead be fastened at 24 by a bolt made so weak as to shear under the cowcatcher blow and prevent other breakage, but the springs described have advantages.

Chain or wire 7 extends over a guide as pulleys 27 to a quadrant 28see Figs. -8 and 9-on a shaft 29 attached to the side 30 of the engine boiler, by a suitable bracket 46 or otherwise suitably located. Shaft 29 extends into engine cab 31, and is there supported in bearings on another bracket 47. A lever 32 keyed to shaft 29 is connected as by chain or cord 33 to any usual lever 34 which operates the air brake valve. Another lever 35 loosely mounted on shaft 29 is connected as by chain or cord 36 to any usual lever 37 operating the steam valve. A pin or boss 38 secured to lever 32 projects in the path of lever 35. When hook 22 causes cord 7 to be pulled, shaft 29 and therefore lever 32 will be rocked thus opening lever 34 of the air brake; and pin 38 will also push lever 35; and thus by means of connection 36 the steam valve will be closed. Following the actuation of the brake valve and steam valve, the release of loop 12 occurs as the engine advances, whereon wire 7 slackens.

39 is a spring having one end attached to quadrant 28 and the other to a support as at the boiler side; when the said slackening occurs spring 39 returns quadrant 28 and also lever 32 to their normal positions, and tightens cord 7 to normal. That cord thus raises slide 6 and rods 11 to their normal positions, and the mechanism becomes ready for action again when another raised hook 22 is met with. The return of lever 32 to normal slackens connection 33 to normal and allows the engineman to manipulate his brake hand lever 40 in any customary way to control the air valve. Springs 43 are oeasio connected to chains or the like 33, 36. Serrated faces 44 are provided on levers 34 and 40 to enable these levers to be adjusted in any desired relative positions and held by a fastening as nut 45.

42 is a lever having one end pivoted to any suitable support as 48 and having attached to it the end of a pin 41, see Fig. 8, which will enter a recess in lever 35 when said lever is pushed by pin 38 toward lever 42. In this way the return of lever 35 to normal will occur when pin 41 is withdrawn by actuating lever 42. There is any suitable recess in lever 35 for said pin 41 to enter.

Loop 12 extends low to suit hook 22 which when lowered will be below the tops of the rails. When not to be used the loop and hook may be fastened, the former as high and the latter as low as desired by any means not shown or claimed.

Having described my invention, what I claim Letters Patent for is 1. For a locomotive, a swing casing, a slide therein with pivoted arms, a loop formed by the arm lower ends, guides or rollers on the casing between which the arms pass, and inward bends or the like on the arms to cause the loop to open when pulled down.

2. For a locomotive, a swinging casing, downwardly projecting arms having bent ends to form a loop, said arms mounted in the casing, means for opening the loop when the arms are pulled downwardly in the casing, depending bars secured to the swinging casing and rollers on the ends of the bars, said rollers adapted to strike high parts of the track and tilt the swinging frame.

3. In combination, a pivoted weighted track lever, a hook pivoted to the end of said track lever, a connection extending from the track lever to set the latter, a swinging frame pivoted to a locomotive, a slide mounted in the swinging frame, arms pivoted to the slide, the ends of said arms being bent toward each other to form a loop, means between the arms and the swinging frame to spread the bent ends of the arms when the slide is lowered, train controlling mechanism including two levers and a connection between the levers and the slide, whereby when the hook is elevated and the bent ends of the arms engage same, the train controlling mechanism will be operated.

4. In combination, a frame pivoted to a locomotive including parallel guides, bars extending from said pivoted frame, rollers mounted at the ends of said bars, a slide mounted in the parallel guides, two arms pivoted to the slide, each of said arms having a cam near its pivotal point, the lower end of each arm having its end turned inwardly, rollers mounted in the pivoted frame against Which the cams of the levers In Witness whereof I have hereunto set operate to move the lower ends of the arms my hand in the presence of two wltnesses. apart, a trip for engaging the ends of the arms, means for operating the trip, train WILLIAM HENRY BAUERT. controlling mechanism, levers connected to the train controlling mechanism and a conl/Vitnesses:

nection between the latter levers and the L. J. MADISON,

slide. H. N. WALKER.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G. 

